In the last article, I surveyed the diverse and beautiful wildlife of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Today, I'd like to continue the tales of my Madagascar trip with a visit to the very north of the island.
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Getting to the Red Tsingy is a bit of a task. Its location at the northern tip of Madagascar, together with the lack of adequate roads from the center of the island, means that you have to fly to the coastal town of Antsiranana (Diego Suarez). From there, it's a 2.5–3 hour drive to the park entrance, where you get the permit and hire a person to accompany you on your visit. If you wish to avoid the long daily drives, there is a very nice camp with relatively luxurious tents, which allows much quicker access to the Tsingy.
Layers of Red Tsingy. To my eyes, they looked like lost souls.
Before continuing, I'd like to explain what the Red Tsingy even is. "Tsingy" in Malagasy means "the place where one cannot walk barefoot." This pertains mostly to the Grey Tsingy, which is found in the Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park, located hundred of miles away, in the west of the country. The dark, karstic Tsingy De Bemaraha is indeed extremely sharp and hard, and I wouldn't dream of climbing them barefoot, but the Red Tsingy (or Tsingy Rouge in French) is a totally different phenomenon.
Not karstic, not hard or sharp and extremely gentle to the point that it's forbidden to touch them for fear of harming the delicate structures, The Red Tsingy are basically dried-up pinnacles composed of laterite and iron oxide-rich soil, which are the result of erosion, caused by the massive deforestation practiced throughout Madagascar. As always, deforestation eliminates the plants' ability to hold the soil in place, which leaves it vulnerable to being swept by rain and wind. The remaining shapes are made smooth by years of being sanded down by winds, which leaves truly wonderful, almost organic-looking shapes. New structures keep being formed and unveiled every year.
The Red Tsingy area is predominantly red-colored, but the different hues and textures make it diverse and elaborate enough for landscape photography. Three natural pigments are found here in the soil: ochre, vermilion and magenta. Malagasies use them for face paints and natural dyes.
There are several sections in the area with short driving distances between them. Some areas are smaller and can be covered in one session, and some require much more time to traverse and shoot. As a regular tourist, the area can be seen in its entirety in one day, but if you're coming to shoot, I recommend spending at least three days exploring the area well enough to get good compositions of the Tsingy. Another problem is the opening hours of the park; it opens after sunrise and closes before sunset, so you need a special permit to stay there for sunset and post-sunset glow.
A Red Tsingy "castle" shining under a strong post-sunset glow.
Shooting the Red Tsingy is, surprisingly, quite challenging. In general, I find that the more compositional elements an area has, the harder it is to find the really good images. Since the Tsingy are usually very closely packed, some of them can get in the way and ruin an otherwise good composition. The fact that the Tsingy are all the same color makes it difficult to create separation between the photographic elements. The photographer thus needs to actively search for compositions with different colored elements, which happens, for example, when the ground is different in color from the structures.
The difference in color between the Tsingy and the red Earth helped me create a better sense of depth in this composition, even though I didn't really have a background element or a strong foreground element.
There are many other elements and factors that must be considered when shooting in the park. One of these is the relatively short time we have with good light. The sun is very harsh in Madagascar, especially in the north (since it's closer to the equator), and drops very fast before sunset. This means the light changes quickly in quality and that the sun can be difficult to incorporate into your images.
To get this shot, I had to stand very close to the Tsingy, raise my hands as far as I could above my head and shoot blindly at burst mode. The camera had to be placed high to get the composition (the Tsingy were very tall - next time, I'm definitely bringing a small stool), so I couldn't even look at the eyepiece or at the screen. This is a case where quantity prevailed over precision for lack of other choice. One shot turned out great.
Another factor is the critical need to be aware of yourself when standing close to the Tsingy. They are very fragile, and hurting them must be avoided to preserve the park's beauty. It's often compositionally desirable to shoot from very close distances, but extra care must be taken. Focus-stacking is sometimes needed when some of the elements are very close to the camera.
I had to take extra care venturing into this semi-circle of red Tsingy. Some of them were very close to my arms, which affected the variety of angles I could shoot at.
The last problem is the lack of background elements. As you may remember from my composition series, a combination of near and far elements is often helpful in order to create a sense of depth in our two-dimensional image. In Tsingy Rouge National Park, the background is usually red slopes which climb to meet flat plains - not exactly the equivalent of Patagonia's glorious mountain ranges. This leaves the photographer with the choice to either have no background elements (perhaps apart from sky and clouds), or to include the background and risk lack of depth perception in the image, due to the elements being similar in color and texture.
In this image, I tried to incorporate several tools to create a good sense of depth. Two worth mentioning are the different lighting in different sections of the image and the use of the shadow cast by the plant on the left of the Tsingy. The green vegetation added a much-needed splash of color.
In the next article in this series, I'll talk about photography in the wonderful Kirindy Forest, a private reserve holding spectacular wildlife and a very nice landscape.
Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveller based in Israel. You can follow Erez's work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates and to his YouTube channel.
This is the first lens announced by Kase - a company known for manufacturing filters. For now, the lens is available only for Z/E/X - other mounts will be released later. Additional information on the new lens can be found here:
27mm focal length is suitable for portraits, landscapes, street photography and macro photography
Five groups of six pieces of optical structure, high-precision optical glass and advanced nano-coating technology to ensure image quality and color accuracy
F2.8 large aperture can easily cope with low-light environments
The STM stepper motor responds quickly, high focusing accuracy, and supports eye recognition.
0.3m minimum focusing distance
Supports USB Type C upgrade interface, you can download the latest firmware for upgrade by yourself
Viltrox has announced the new AF 40mm F2.5 Z lens for full-frame Nikon Z-mount cameras. The lightweight prime lens provides a normal field of view, roughly approximating the perspective of human vision.
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Optically, the AF 40mm F2.5 Z features an internal focus design built around ten elements in six groups. This includes one ED lens, one aspherical lens, three high-refractive index lenses, a high-definition nano-multilayer coating, and a front lens element that includes an anti-fouling coating. The close focus distance is 0.34m (13").
Image: Viltrox
The lens includes a 52mm filter thread and features a 7-bladed aperture.
The AF 40mm F2.5 Z weighs a relatively lightweight 180g (6.3oz). A stepper motor drives autofocus, and Viltrox says the lens is compatible with face and eye recognition systems. It also says the lens should be suitable for shooting video thanks to low distortion and minimal focus breathing.
On the tech side of things, Viltrox says the lens supports full EXIF transmission to the camera, and it includes a USB interface to support future firmware upgrades.
Viltrox says the AF 40mm F2.5 Z will be available "as soon as April." It has a suggested retail price of $158.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.
Viltrox AF 40mm F2.5 Z specifications
Principal specifications
Lens type
Prime lens
Max Format size
35mm FF
Focal length
40 mm
Image stabilization
No
Lens mount
Nikon Z
Aperture
Maximum aperture
F2.5
Minimum aperture
F16
Aperture ring
No
Number of diaphragm blades
7
Optics
Elements
10
Groups
6
Special elements / coatings
1 ED element, 1 aspherical element, 3 high refractive index elements, nano-multilayer coating
The lens, already available for Sony E mount, is 104mm (4.1") long and weighs 421g (14.9oz).
Its optical formula is made up of 11 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical, one ED and two high refractive index lenses. It features an 11-blade aperture diaphragm. It uses a stepper motor to drive an internal focus design.
Minimum focus distantce is 0.5m (19.7") and it accepts 62mm threaded filters.
The company says it will be available soon at a price of $228.
Chinese lens maker 7Artisans has announced the AF 27mm F2.8 prime lens for APS-C cameras using the Sony E-Mount.
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The 27mm focal length gives a fractionally wide-angle ∼41mm equivalent field of view, while the semi-fast F2.8 maximum aperture should give some control over depth-of-field and better low-light performance than a kit zoom.
The compact prime consists of six elements in five groups. It uses a stepper motor and internal focus design, which is potentially promising in terms of autofocus speed. Unusually for a modern lens, it makes no use of aspherical, ED or other special glass, and features just six aperture blades.
The 48mm (1.9") long, 173g (5.0oz) lens features a USB 3.0 socket on its side, allowing firmware updates. It has a minimum focus distance of 0.3m (11.8") and accepts 52mm threaded filters. It is available immediately at a recommended price of $129.
The Ricoh teaser from yesterday is for a new Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome limited edition camera with HD PENTAX-DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4ED Limited DC WR lens that will be announced very soon (this week most likely):
"Let's start by talking about the name: Rollei 35AF. The "AF" in the name stands for AUTO FOCUS, a feature that takes this legendary camera to new heights.
We believe that classics are meant to be cherished, and our mission is to preserve the essence of this iconic camera while incorporating new features that enhance its capabilities without compromising its unique charm. With the added AF and other features, capturing stunning analog film pictures becomes effortless, quick, and incredibly precise.
Of course, the Rollei 35AF retains the beloved features that have made it a favorite among photography enthusiasts. It comes with a full metal body, 5-element all glass lens with coating on every side, and exposure controls.
But that's not all.
We've also included a built-in light meter and AUTO modes, allowing you to focus entirely on the things in front of you, the composition before your eyes, and concentrate on deciding what to capture on a rectangular 35mm film canvas while seizing that split-second decisive moment that leaves viewers impressed."
Sample photos taken with the Rollei 35AF film camera:
Additional pictures of the upcoming Rollei 35AF film camera:
Profoto is expected to announce a new flash on May 7th - here is a screenshot of the event invitation:
And the the Google translation (thanks P!):
Tuesday 7 MAY
Milan
STUDIO SANTAVERONICA
(Corso C. Colombo 11 - MM Porta Genova)
From 10.00 to 13.00 and from 14.30 to 18.00 set with the photographer DARIO BOLOGNA and the new Profoto flash to try!
Free entry
Nikkei Japan published an article "Digital camera market grows for the first time in 13 years, halting shrinkage with smartphone replacement". Here is the article recap digicame-info:
Research firm GfK Japan announced on the 18th that the domestic digital camera market in 2023 will turn positive for the first time in 13 years. Sales volume was 1.2 million units, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This was driven by products such as interchangeable lens cameras. The decline had continued due to the spread of smartphones, but this appears to have come to a halt. The digital camera market had been in decline since peaking at 10.4 million units in 2010.
Looking at unit sales in 2023 by type, interchangeable lens cameras increased by 9%, and compact cameras increased by 6%. Interchangeable lenses also grew by 4%.
This is the second consecutive year of positive growth for interchangeable lens cameras. The number of products over 100,000 yen increased, and the proportion of products in the 100,000 to 200,000 yen price range was 46%, an increase of 7 points from the previous year. The average price (excluding tax) rose 4% from the previous year to 172,000 yen.
The most significant products of the past 25 years
As part of our twenty-fifth anniversary, we asked manufacturers to reflect on the most significant products of the past quarter century.
As you might imagine, all the senior executives picked one of their own products. But some patterns also emerged. Some simply named their current flagship as the pinnacle of the company's R&D history so far. But we were also interested to hear about the products that have been significant for the company's history, because they represented major challenges to develop, were risky expansions into new territory or ultimately moved the whole industry forward.
In each instance, we asked for a personal choice, rather than what might be the official company line. And, if they couldn't narrow it down to one, we were happy to hear the rationale for other products they thought were significant.
Nikon: Z9
Yusuke Adachi, Section Manager, UX Strategy Section, UX Planning Department in Nikon's Imaging Business selected the Z9 with its electronic shutter and Stacked CMOS sensor
"So many products were rolled out to the market in the past quarter century!" Nikon's Yusuke Adachi says: " However, I would say the Nikon Z9."
Choosing the current flagship model could simply come across as the choice that the marketing department would be happiest with. But Adachi makes an argument for is also being a landmark in technology, pointing to the capabilities made possible by its parallel readout sensor.
"One of the biggest challenges in the history of the company is [electronic shutter], which means that when you remove the mechanical shutter. You can actually see exactly the same thing with your camera that you see with your bare eyes. It’s completely synchronized, and it’s called dual streaming. This is something that DSLRs couldn’t do, but the mirrorless camera allows customers to capture things they couldn’t do before."
Fujifilm: Finepix X100
Yuji Igarashi, Divisional Manager of Fujifilm's Professional Imaging Group highlighted the importance of the original X100 to the company today
Fujifilm's Yuji Igarashi chose the original Finepix X100, which makes sense, given its role in establishing the brand as we recognize it today.
"That was the first camera when we stepped up from selling point-and-shoot, entry-level compact cameras," he remembers: "Smartphones were becoming popular and demand for point-and-shoot cameras was declining so fast."
"But we were determined to continue and to grow in this industry, so we thought very hard, how can we change our business model. This was our first attempt to do that, using the APS-C-sized sensor. X100 was a huge success, which gave us confidence."
"We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the X100," he says Fujifilm's "If that failed, we would have been in a very difficult position."
Sony: RX1 and G Master lenses
Masaaki Oshima (L), Head of Sony's Imaging Entertainment Business, and Masanori Kishi (R), Head of Lens Technology & Systems Business picked out the DSC-RX1 and the original G Master lenses
Sony's history in the camera industry goes back a long way, including the Mavica models that were among the first we tested. But its Execs both choose products that represent the seeds of the brand as it's seen today. Interestingly, they eschew the first full-frame mirrorless camera (the a7, or perhaps NEX-VG900, depending on your perspective) and choose instead a camera that showed that the company was serious about photography.
"From my personal perspective, there are two cameras, RX1 and Alpha 9," says Masaaki Oshima: "Because they were very hard to produce. I have a lot of memories of launching these two cameras."
"The [Cyber-shot DSC-] RX1 is the beginning of our photography culture. Before that, we had launched RX100 series but still inside the world of Cyber-shot, kind of. RX1 is definitely a different world compared with our previous circumstances. That was a very memorable development period."
"From the point of view of lenses, the first G-Master lenses are very very memorable," says Masanori Kishi: "The first G-Master lenses were the 85mm F1.4 and 24-70mm F2.8. From these G Master lenses, our technology improvement accelerated and our customers also changed. Customers rated our product highly and that's become a very big motivation for our designers and our engineers. This generated a very positive momentum from this point onward."
Tamron: 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD
Kota Misawa, Manager of the Marketing Planning Department in Tamron's Imaging Products Business chose the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD
Tamron can trace its history back nearly 75 years, so the quarter-of-a-century we're discussing only represents a small portion of its existence. Despite this, its choice was a product that's emblematic of how many people are now likely to think of the company.
"Probably the first generation 28-75mm F2.8," says Kota Misawa: "That was a new concept because it was a fast lens, but we changed the focal length from 24mm to 28mm, and users accepted this concept. We knew that if we had a unique concept and we could let users know what that concept was, then people would understand. After that, we started to change, and we started developing unique lenses."
"That lens was controversial, even in our own company, and some people were not confident that it would be accepted by users, so we were really relieved that it was."
Sigma: 35mm F1.4 Art and 18-35mm F1.8 Art
Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki named the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art as one of its most significant products
It's not a dissimilar story for Sigma, which has gone from a respected producer of affordable lenses to an acclaimed maker of top-class photographic gear. Kazuto Yamaki chooses the lens that marked the beginning of that change, the 35mm F1.4 Art.
"It’s the first Art lens in the series and it’s the first lens after we introduced the three series: Art, Contemporary, Sports," he explains: "If we’d failed with the launch of the 35mm F1.4, Sigma may not have survived until today. It was very fortunate that the customer received it very well and we could survive in the industry."
"If I could pick another it would be the 18-35mm F1.8 for APS-C," he says, looking to the more adventurous side of the company's products: "We wanted to implement the first F one-point zoom lens: that was the only motivation. But after we launched the lens, we realized that videographers and cinematographers really loved that lens. So with the introduction of this lens, we started getting interested in joining the cine lens business, so I love these two lenses."
OM System: Olympus Camedia C-2000 Zoom
Kazuhiro Togashi, Vice President of Brand Strategy & Product Planning at OM Digital Solutions looked back to a camera from the start of his time in the industry.
Hats off to OM System's Kazuhiro Togashi for staying true to the question and giving us his personal choice, and the story behind it. Rather than simply naming a recent model, Togashi looked back to just the eighth camera reviewed here.
"When I first joined Olympus, maybe 60% of the market was film cameras." he explains: " About three years before I entered Olympus the first digital camera emerged from Casio, so for me, the digital camera was very impactful in these 25 years. Before digital cameras launched, only a limited number of people used and enjoyed cameras, because shooting skills were required and to develop photos cost money. Digital cameras influenced culture for a lot of people worldwide"
"Then smartphones expanded interest in still images and movies even more. But the change from film to digital left a big impression for me."
Canon: EOS Digital Rebel
Go Tokura: Senior Managing Executive Officer, Deputy Head of Canon's Imaging Group and Chief Executive of Image Communication Business Operations opted for the original Digital Rebel.
Known to us as the Canon EOS 300D (DPReview was based in London at the time), the original Digital Rebel was the first DSLR with a list price under $1000. This helped maintain Canon's position as the world's largest camera maker into the digital era, as well as playing a key role in popularizing CMOS sensor technology.
"It played a very important role in shifting [the market] from film to the digital DSLR," says Go Tokura: "Since 2003, Canon has sold more than 1 million of them."
"And if we can add one more product, it would be the ‘hero’ model of our mirrorless lineup, the EOS R5."
Panasonic: Lumix DMC-G1
Toshiyuka Tsumura, Executive Vice President and Director of Panasonic's Imaging Business recognized the importance of the Lumix DMC-G1, not just to his company, but the industry as a whole
Panasonic gave us one of the shortest answers, but perhaps it's a choice that doesn't need much further explanation. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 was the first camera of its kind, prompting us to have to find a way to describe it. Despite concerns from some manufacturers that it could imply their products were somehow lacking, we settled on "mirrorless," for this new generation of cameras.
"[I'd choose] the Lumix G1," says Toshiyuki Tsumura: "Fifteen years ago, no professional photographer used mirrorless, but now almost all professional photographers use mirrorless."
This focus on professionals risks under-selling the importance of the G1; in the nearly sixteen years since its announcement, mirrorless cameras have come to dominate almost every part of the camera industry. Not bad for a company that didn't even release a digital camera until nearly two years into this website's history.
Article based on interviews conducted at CP+ 2024 in Yokohama, Japan, by Richard Butler and Dale Baskin.